2024 Atlantic hurricane season (Kindofameme)
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season was the second most active hurricane season on record behind 2005. During the season, a near-record 22 named storms formed over a six-month period, 11 of which intensified into hurricanes, and 7 of which became major hurricanes, a record tied only by 1961 and 2005. The impacts of the season were some of the most catastrophic since 2017, with total damages estimated at $53.37 billion, and an estimated 1,275 deaths. 2024 was also the first season to feature multiple Category 5 hurricanes since 2017. Forecasts initially called for a near to slightly above-average season, however as the season progressed conditions became increasingly favourable, with very little wind shear to disrupt the formation of storms. This contributed to the record-tying number of major hurricanes. 2024 also marked only the second time that the naming list ran out during a season, the other being 2005, with the use of Alpha in November. The first Category 5 hurricane of the season, Isaac, caused an estimated $39 billion in damages when it hit southern Texas, narrowly beating Ike in 2008 for the position of sixth costliest hurricane on record. Patty also strengthened to Category 5 status, causing an estimated $12 billion in damages across its path through the Caribbean and Florida, and became the fifteenth costliest storm on record. These two storms alone were responsible for the majority of the destruction and deaths. The mainland US, as well as the Caribbean, took the brunt of the destruction during the season; Florida in particular saw three major hurricane landfalls, from Leslie, Nadine and Patty respectively. __TOC__ Seasonal forecasts Ahead of and during the season, several national meteorological services and scientific agencies forecast how many named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale) will form during a season and/or how many tropical cyclones will affect a particular country. These agencies include the Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) Consortium of University College London, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Colorado State University (CSU). The forecasts include weekly and monthly changes in significant factors that help determine the number of tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes within a particular year. Some of these forecasts also take into consideration what happened in previous seasons. On average, an Atlantic hurricane season between 1981 and 2010 contained twelve tropical storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes, with an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index of between 66 and 103 units. Pre-season outlooks On December 9, 2023, Colorado State University (CSU) issued their first forecast for the 2024 season. They predicted a near-average season with 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes. They cited an ongoing El Niño as well as generally unfavourable conditions persisting in the Atlantic basin. A day later, Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) issued their forecast, also predicting a near-average season with 13 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. In April, in response to changing conditions in the Atlantic basin, CSU and TSR issued updated forecasts. On April 15, CSU issued an updated forecast predicting an above-average season with 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. TSR also forecast an above average season, citing the deterioration of the El Niño and the emergence of warmer sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic. A month later, on April 25, NOAA issued their first forecast calling for a near to above-average season, with between 13 to 17 named storms, between 6 to 10 hurricanes, and between 1 to 4 major hurricanes. Mid-season outlooks On June 1, the official start of the season, CSU issued another forecast, keeping their numbers the same as the previous forecast. On June 8, the UK Met Office (UKMO) issued their forecast, predicting 17 named storms, but they did not predict the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes. Two months later, on August 2, 2024, CSU issued an updated prediction, increasing their numbers substantially to 19 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes, citing the lack of an El Niño, a receding Saharan Air Layer, and generally favourable conditions for tropical cyclogenesis. A week later, on August 9, NOAA issued their updated mid-season outlook calling for a well above-average season, with 15-19 named storms, 6-11 hurricanes and 3-5 major hurricanes, citing similar reasons, and also noting that the season could be the most active since 2017. A day later, on August 10, TSR upgraded their forecast numbers markedly to 19 named storms, 12 hurricanes and 6 major hurricanes, the reason being an unexpected shift in the favourability of the Atlantic basin in the weeks leading up to August. A month later, on September 10, the final mid-season outlook was issued by NOAA, now calling for a hyperactive season with nearly double the numbers of a normal season. The numbers forecast were raised slightly to 16-19 named storms, 7-13 hurricanes and 4-6 major hurricanes. Although NOAA's final outlook was fairly accurate, it still fell short of the actual activity in terms of named storms and major hurricanes. Seasonal summary Timeline ImageSize = width:800 height:200 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/05/2024 till:01/12/2024 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/05/2024 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TD value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_<_62_km/h_(<_39_mph) id:TS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Tropical_Storm_=_63-117_km/h_(39-73_mph) id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Category_1_=_118-153_km/h_(74-95_mph) id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.91,0.46) legend:Category_2_=_154-177_km/h_(96-110_mph) id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Category_3_=_178-209-km/h_(111-130_mph) id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.56,0.13) legend:Category_4_=_210-249_km/h_(131-155_mph) id:C5 value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Category_5_=_≥250_km/h_(≥156_mph) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:12/05/2024 till:17/05/2024 color:TS text:Alberto (TS) from:08/06/2024 till:12/06/2024 color:TS text:Beryl (TS) from:13/06/2024 till:16/06/2024 color:TS text:Chris (TS) from:13/07/2024 till:17/07/2024 color:TD text:Four (TD) from:27/07/2024 till:31/07/2024 color:TD text:Five (TD) from:28/07/2024 till:02/08/2024 color:TS text:Debby (TS) from:01/08/2024 till:09/08/2024 color:TS text:Ernesto (TS) from:08/08/2024 till:20/08/2024 color:C3 text:Florence (C3) barset:break from:14/08/2024 till:22/08/2024 color:C1 text:Gordon (C1) from:15/08/2024 till:23/08/2024 color:C1 text:Helene (C1) from:27/08/2024 till:15/09/2024 color:C5 text:Isaac (C5) from:30/08/2024 till:07/09/2024 color:C1 text:Joyce (C1) from:02/09/2024 till:08/09/2024 color:TS text:Kirk (TS) from:08/09/2024 till:21/09/2024 color:C3 text:Leslie (C3) from:11/09/2024 till:17/09/2024 color:C1 text:Michael (C1) from:19/09/2024 till:29/09/2024 color:C4 text:Nadine (C4) barset:break from:22/09/2024 till:29/09/2024 color:C3 text:Oscar (C3) from:30/09/2024 till:16/10/2024 color:C5 text:Patty (C5) from:30/09/2024 till:04/10/2024 color:TS text:Rafael (TS) from:02/10/2024 till:09/10/2024 color:TS text:Sara (TS) from:16/10/2024 till:25/10/2024 color:C3 text:Tony (C3) from:18/10/2024 till:23/10/2024 color:TS text:Valerie (TS) from:02/11/2024 till:07/11/2024 color:TS text:William (TS) from:05/11/2024 till:10/11/2024 color:TS text:Alpha (TS) barset:break bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/05/2024 till:01/06/2024 text:May from:01/06/2024 till:01/07/2024 text:June from:01/07/2024 till:01/08/2024 text:July from:01/08/2024 till:01/09/2024 text:August from:01/09/2024 till:01/10/2024 text:September from:01/10/2024 till:01/11/2024 text:October from:01/11/2024 till:01/12/2024 text:November TextData = pos:(570,30) text:"(From the" pos:617,30 text:"Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale)" Storm names The following is a list of names used for tropical storms and hurricanes that formed in the North Atlantic in 2024. This was the same list used for the 2018 season. The names Valerie and William were used for the first time in 2024. On April 9, 2025, the World Meteorological Organization retired four names: Isaac, Leslie, Nadine and Patty. Their replacements for the 2030 season were Isaiah, Lois, Naomi, and Phoebe, respectively. Season effects This is a table of all of the storms that have formed during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their names, duration, peak strength, areas affected, damage, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but were still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 2024 USD. __FORCETOC__ Category:Atlantic hurricane seasons